Gluten-free biscuits are the new gluten-free bread.
I’ll admit I haven’t made GF bread—yet. And, I stay away from commercial GF breads because, well, do I need to explain why to you of all people? You know they’re not so great. OK for breadcrumbs, but not much else.
GF biscuits are another story. They’re divine—light, a little crumbly, savory not sweet. Perfect warm with fig jam. Ah, and they would make tasty little ham and cheese sandwiches. In fact, this recipe in Bon Apetit was the inspiration for The Sensitive Pantry’s version of Sweet Potato Biscuits. IMHO these little guys beat bread hands down.
I’m kind of excited because I found another wonderful way to serve them—topped with beef barbecue, Sloppy Joes, the kind with ground beef and barbecue sauce. You know, the kind the cafeteria ladies served in Middle School. (And maybe your Mom made them for you but I’m pretty sure my Italian-American Mom never even had a Sloppy Joe let alone actually made them!) Sloppy Joes really need a soft bun underneath them and I’ve yet to find soft GF buns on the grocery store shelves. But these Sweet Potato Biscuits are perfecto for Sloppy Joes!
If you’re up for a little reading on the subject of baking biscuits you might try Dorie Greenspan’s Biscuits on Parade: A Recipe + A Biscuit Tip-Sheet.
This recipe, along with Karina’s and other GF blogger Sweet Potato Biscuit recipes, are featured at the Gluten-free Goddess blog. Check them out and maybe try all four recipes!
Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cups GF flour blend*
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons Earth Balance (cold)
1/2 cup rice or hemp milk (cold)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (cold)
1 cup sweet potato puree (cold)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the dry ingredients (the first 8 listed above) together in a large bowl. I like to use a whisk for this.
Mix the cold milk and lemon juice then put it back in the fridge until needed.
Add the cold Earth Balance to the dry ingredients and mix together with a fork or pastry blender. I usually start out with one of these tools and then abandon it for mixing with clean, dry hands. The dough should be a bit clumpy with the clumps about the size of peas.
Add half the milk mixture and the cup of sweet potato puree to the flour. (I used canned organic sweet potato puree that I picked up at Whole Foods. You can make your own by boiling and mashing fresh sweet potatoes. You may have to adjust the amount of milk you add to the dough to get the desired moisture and consistency.)
Stir everything together with a large spoon, adding more milk mixture as you go, until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Pull the dough together with your hands forming it into a ball. A note about the dough—it should be a medium-light weight dough and able to hold together. You may need to add more liquid or more flour at the end to reach the right consistency but avoid over-handling the dough.
Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured pastry mat. Press the ball down into a disk and place a piece of parchment or plastic wrap over top. Using a rolling pin gently roll it out to about 1/2 inch high.
Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Tip: dip the cutter in flour between cuts. And, if you don’t have a biscuit cutter you might try a sharp edged glass.
Pull the dough scraps together and repeat.
Place the rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake about 15-18 minutes until they just begin to brown. Serve warm.
*Note: I used Authentic Foods Gluten-Free Multi Blend Flour. You could use your own GF flour blend or, if you don’t have any on hand, try subbing with brown rice flour + 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum.